"Many images of Kali show her with a long tongue, caught in the act of licking the blood of warriors. In these images, she often appears as a hag, emaciated, ugly, with fangs, and with blood dripping from her tongue. But as human consciousness evolved over the centuries, so, it seems, did the image of Kali. Her body became beautiful, as it is in most modern representations." -"Awakening Shakti"

SAMSKARAS are Vedic rites of passage. Sacraments are performed to celebrate and sanctify life's crucial junctures, inform family and community, and secure inner-world blessings. Here are eight of the essential rites or 'samskaras' performed after birth till death.